Water-gage for steam-generators.



N0 736,666. PATENTED AUG. 16,1906. A. WOOD.

WATER GAGE FOR STEAM GENERATORS. APPLIOATION FILED mm: 20, 1902. noMODEL I Q F2 1 Wl-DVESSES,

AITORNE rs:

UNirn STATES Patented August 18, 1903.

ATENT FFICE.

WATER-GAGE FOR STEAM-GENERATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,666, dated August18, 1903.

Application filed June 20.1902.

T0 fI/ZZ whmn it may (on/corn:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER WOOD, director, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at \Voodlands,Par-tick, Glasgow, Scotland, haveinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in \Vater-Gages for Steam-Generators, of which the following is a speci iication.

This invention relates to that class of watergages for steam-generatorsknown as safetygages. In this class of water-gage should the glass breakfrom any cause whatever automatic valve arrangements 'come into action,

and prevent the escape of water and steam from the boiler.

My invention has for its object to improve and simplify the constructionof such safetygages.

The essential feature of this invention is that the valves are normallyretained in the open position by means of a rod made of glass,porcelain, or other material which can be readily broken. The valves maybe made of any suitable construction and are so arranged and fitted thatthey will automatically close whenever the glass or other rod is broken.Preferably the valves would be conical and the upper one arranged so asto close by the pressure of the steam while the lower one may bearranged to close by the pressure of the water merely or by means of aspring, weighted lever, or such like. The glass or other rod is arrangedwithin the gage-glass and could be seated at each end in a cup or socketon an extension formed on each valve.

In order that my said invention may be properly understood, I havehereunto appended an explanatory drawing, which shows, by way ofexample, a convenient method of carrying out the invention.

Figure l is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 an elevation, of a water-gagehaving my invention applied thereto.

The water-gage, which is provided with self-closing valves and may beotherwise of any usual construction, has the valves a b retained in theopen position, as shown at Fig. 1, by means of a slender glass rod 0.This red at its lower end is inserted in a socket (I, made in anextension 6 of the valve Z), and at its upper end is inserted in a splitand exfierial No. 112,492. (No model.)

a and rod 0, can be raised up out of place after removing the screw-plug*1".

In practice I have found that with a boiler working at a pressure of onehundred pounds to the square inch a glass rod of one-eighth inchdiameter is quite sufiicient to hold the valves normally open. IVhen thegageglass on is broken from any cause, the pressure of the steam andwater acting on the valve a Z) simply crushes up the glass rod andinstantaneously closes the valves tight, so that steam and hot watercannot escape from the boiler.

Instead of using a glass rod, as before described, a metal or other rodcapable of bending up under the pressure of the steam and water wheneverthe gage-glass is broken may be employed. This rod would be madesufiiciently rigid to normally hold the valves open; but whenever thegage-glass broke it would bend up sufficiently to allow the valves toclose down on their seats.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a water-gage having a gage-glass and valves capable of closingautomatically the combination with the valves of a rod made of amaterial which will readily break under pressure but which will not beaffected by heat or moisture for the purpose of normally retaining thevalves in the open position, said rod being made solid throughout itslength and being arranged within the gage-glass.

2. 111 a water-gage, the combination of a gage-glass, a self-closingsteam-valve, a selfclosing watervalve, a socket extension on thesteam-valve, a socket extension on the water valve, and a continuousglass rod arranged within the gage-glass and fitted in the socketextensions so as to retain the valves in the open position,substantially as described.

In a water-gage, the combination of a gage-glass self-closingsteam-valve, a selfolosing water-valve, an externally-screwed socketextension on the stea1n-valve, a socket extension on the water-valve,and a continuous glass rod arranged within the gage-glass and fitted inthe socket extensions so as to retain the valves in the open position,substantially as described.

at. In a Water-gage, the combination of a conical self-closingsteam-valve, a guideframe on the valve, a knob on the guideframe, asocket extension on the valve, a conical self-closing water-valve, aguide-frame 011 the valve, a socket extension on the valve and abreakable rod fitted in the socket extension and which retains thevalves in the open position, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the valve to, the guide It on the valve, the knob j,the socket extension f, the valve 1), the guide h on the valve, thesocket extension cl, 6, and the rod 0, substantially as hereinbeforedescribed and shown.

6. In a water-gage, the combination of a gage-glass, a self-closingsteam-valve, a selfclosing water-valve and a solid continuous glass rodarranged within the gage-glass for normally retaining these valves inthe open position.

Signed at Glasgow, Scotland, this 9th day of June, 1902.

ALEX. \VOOD.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM GALL, II. D. FITZPATRIOK.

